ACOEDI 2026 | Economic Development Adaptation Training Programme | 26–29 October 2026 | Johannesburg · View ACOEDI 2026 →
A Pan-African Professional Body for Economic Development and Innovation Practice
Advancing the professional capability, recognition, standards and networks of economic development and innovation practitioners and institutions across Africa.
Through membership, professional certification, CPD, training, research, policy engagement, advisory support and continental convening, IfEDI Africa supports the professionals, institutions and partnerships needed to convert African knowledge, resources and enterprise into inclusive economic development.
African Professionals. African Standards. African Knowledge. African Innovation. African Prosperity.
Built for African development challenges, African institutions and African opportunities.
Economic development and innovation work is carried out across many disciplines and institutions. Practitioners come from different academic and professional backgrounds, but their decisions are interconnected. IfEDI exists to provide the shared professional architecture this interconnected practice needs.
One Shared Core. Multiple Specialisations. Real Impact.
One professional body, organised across five connected pillars that together form the IfEDI professional system.
Professional belonging, career-stage recognition, ethical accountability and participation in the economic development and innovation professional community.
Explore Membership19 assessed professional certification pathways built on a shared professional core and specialist areas of practice.
Explore Professional CertificationShort courses, masterclasses, professional formation, continuous professional development and professional currency.
Explore Learning & CPDApplied research, professional knowledge, policy engagement, publications, institutional advisory and implementation support.
Explore Research & AdvisoryPartnerships, professional networks, ACOEDI, ALFEDI, professional excellence, awards and platforms connecting Africa's economic development ecosystem.
Explore the IfEDI EcosystemThe components have different functions, but they all belong to one IfEDI professional system. Not every participant follows every pathway.
Membership + one or more relevant professional certification pathways + CPD.
ACEDIG — economic development and innovation governance.
Organisational Membership + AEDII institutional capability pathway.
Research + Publications + ACOEDI + CPD + Practice Knowledge.
ALFEDI — strategic leadership, alignment and cross-system action.
Awards + Professional Recognition of demonstrated excellence.
Individuals and institutions engage with IfEDI through different routes — not everyone follows the same pathway.
Economic development is multidisciplinary and cross-institutional. IfEDI targets the function performed, not the label — not every employee of these institutions is automatically an economic development practitioner.
Research, publications, policy briefs, practice knowledge, implementation reports and advisory support are part of IfEDI's professional mandate — ACOEDI-linked publications are one part of this broader knowledge system.
Evidence-informed research for economic development, innovation and institutional performance.
Support for policy development, institutional strengthening and governance frameworks.
Research and advisory for municipalities, chambers and local institutions.
Design, review and evaluation of development programmes and partnership models.
Implementation magazine linked to ACOEDI.
Explore →Reviewed conference contributions.
Explore →Research-informed policy and conceptual contributions.
Explore →Programme and development outcome reports.
Explore →Issue 01 | 2026 Edition · IfEDI Africa
IfEDI Africa's magazine-style review featuring implementation perspectives, regional learning, innovation stories and Atlas-linked development intelligence across Southern, North, West, Central and East Africa.
These programmes are platforms through which IfEDI's professional mandate is expressed — not IfEDI's identity.
Featured Platform
Economic Development Adaptation Training Programme
African Conference on Economic Development and Innovation
Conference Learning → Structured Virtual Training → Practice Adaptation
A structured professional development programme combining conference-based action learning, peer learning, applied training and practice adaptation.
Call for Nominations
Recognising Excellence. Celebrating Impact. Advancing Africa.
Recognising professionals, institutions, partnerships and economic development enablers that demonstrate excellence in the professional practice and institutional delivery of economic development and innovation across Africa.
Nominations Open: 1 September 2026
Nominations Close: 20 September 2026, 23:59 SAST
Awards Ceremony: 29 October 2026
Presented at ACOEDI 2026 · 26–29 October 2026 · Emperors Palace Convention Centre, Johannesburg
IfEDI Africa launches its Wednesday evening dialogue series ahead of ACOEDI 2026. The opening session asks: what human mobility does Africa need to grow intra-African trade?
